Primary or Secondary? The Founding Era is a free printable Grade 3 to Grade 5 social studies worksheet on telling primary from secondary sources about the founding, aligned to C3 Framework indicator D2.His.9.3-5. It prints 3 questions with an answer key on its own sheet of paper, in 25 versions that each ask different questions, so no two students in the class work from the same page. Print it from the browser or download it as a PDF — no account, no email.

Set 12 of 25 · the same problems every time you open this link.

One paper per student

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25

Set 1 has all 25 in a single PDF. All 25 sets ask different questions.

Primary or Secondary? The Founding Era

D2.His.9.3-5

NameDate

Sort each source: primary or secondary?

1.Sort each one: Primary or Secondary?

Sort: A magazine article in which a historian explains the Stamp Act, A historian's book about women in the Revolution, A 1775 newspaper report on Lexington and Concord, A Continental soldier's diary written at Valley Forge

PrimarySecondary

2.Sort each one: Primary or Secondary?

Sort: An encyclopedia article about Thomas Jefferson, The Constitution as it was signed in 1787, Abigail Adams's letter to John Adams, 1776, A museum sign explaining what happened at Yorktown

PrimarySecondary

3.Sort each one: Primary or Secondary?

Sort: A letter George Washington wrote to Congress during the war, Paul Revere's 1770 engraving of the Boston Massacre, A biography of George Washington written in 2005, A website summary of the Boston Tea Party written last year

PrimarySecondary

LessonPrint · D2.His.9.3-5 · Set 12 · free to copy for classroom use

Answer key — Primary or Secondary? The Founding Era

Set 12. Prints on its own sheet.

1.1. A 1775 newspaper report on Lexington and Concord — Primary 2. A Continental soldier's diary written at Valley Forge — Primary 3. A historian's book about women in the Revolution — Secondary 4. A magazine article in which a historian explains the Stamp Act — Secondary
2.1. A museum sign explaining what happened at Yorktown — Secondary 2. Abigail Adams's letter to John Adams, 1776 — Primary 3. An encyclopedia article about Thomas Jefferson — Secondary 4. The Constitution as it was signed in 1787 — Primary
3.1. A biography of George Washington written in 2005 — Secondary 2. A letter George Washington wrote to Congress during the war — Primary 3. A website summary of the Boston Tea Party written last year — Secondary 4. Paul Revere's 1770 engraving of the Boston Massacre — Primary

Last reviewed 2026-09-05. Aligned to D2.His.9.3-5 of the C3 Framework for Social Studies State Standards.